'Staying calm in a sea of chaos'

By DEVIN HEILMAN

Staff Writer

ATHOL — If a man-made threat — biohazard, epidemic, chemical warfare — happens in North Idaho, local and regional responders are prepared to act.

Up to 100 individuals from multiple agencies used Silverwood Theme Park as a training ground Tuesday as the Idaho National Guard and Kootenai County Sheriff's Office led a training exercise.

The training was to test Kootenai County's Emergency Response Plan and have first responders put into practice the required protocol as a situation escalates from the local level to a more disastrous regional incident.

The responding agencies ranged from local law enforcement and fire districts to Idaho National Guard's 101st Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, Panhandle Health District and the FBI.

KCSO Capt. Andy Boyle said it was a way to bring area resources together to train together “so that if we ever have an event like this, we've worked together and we know how to respond as a group."

"The best thing is you're able to bring a bunch of different resources from other agencies together to work as one team," Boyle said. “If we didn't do this and then we have an event happen and we've never worked together, then we're all going to do our own thing. This way if we train together, when the incident actually happens, we're going to respond as one team."

The exercise also provided opportunities for interagency communication.

"That's the first thing you hear when something goes wrong, that it's communications,” Boyle said.

Fire trucks and law enforcement vehicles staged at Silverwood's front and rear entrances after a mock 911 call came in. An Idaho Panhandle Emergency Response command post served as a meeting point for responders to be briefed about the scenario as it developed.

"We don't want this to happen, obviously, but we're prepared for it,” Boyle said. "In North Idaho, we're not so big that we can do it by ourselves, so we have to work together already. By bringing other resources up from Boise and the rest of the state, we know we can bring other responders in and we're all on the same sheet of music, we're all going to work together for a successful outcome.”

During the exercise, a handful of actors posed as "evacuees" who had been exposed to the potential threat and required decontamination. The group showcased the difficulties of detaining people who are full of panic and uncertainty, as well as the need for responders to keep their cool.

"That's kind of the art of doing emergency response, is trying to stay calm in a sea of chaos,” said Idaho National Guard Col. Douglas Smith. “Will there be some panic? I would assume there would be panic not knowing the unknown."

Boyle said during the exercise, three different "devices" were placed throughout the park for teams to find and identify. Members of the 101st Civil Support Team's jobs suited up in protective gear before going into the scene so they wouldn't be exposed to "unknown substances."

"They deal with radiological, biological, chemical and other dangerous substances," Smith said, adding it takes a group effort when dealing with threats like these.

"It's a big deal," he said. "It's a lot of people who have to come together and work together for a good outcome."

Silverwood communications and marketing director Mark Robitaille said a training exercise on this level was new for Silverwood, but each year the park participates in a grounds-wide evacuation at the start of each season to familiarize employees with the drill.

Although this training occurred at the theme park, Robitaille said it goes far beyond Silverwood.

"This is a much larger scale of preparedness," he said. "This could happen anywhere and these types of drills can help in all real-time situations. It's wise for all businesses to be as prepared as you can just in case."

Boyle said an after-incident with results of the training would be available at a later date.